


A Classy Guy

by icywind



Series: Winterhawk Valentines Prompts 2017 [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-02-07
Packaged: 2018-09-22 19:35:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9622523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icywind/pseuds/icywind
Summary: Prompt: Person A finds Person B along the side of the road in a torn suit with a bouquet of roses.Bucky isn't sure why Clint is in a suit, much less why it's torn, or what the deal is with the roses. The explanation is enlightening.





	

 

 

“Do I want to know what happened?” Bucky asked after removing his helmet and setting it on the bike in front of him. Clint was standing at the side of the road next to where he'd pulled over, and only barely looked up from the intense study he was performing of his shoes. They were, admittedly, the only part of him that remained relatively unscathed in appearance. How he'd managed that Bucky had no idea because the dirt and the tears in what had once been a nice suit had every indication he'd been in a fight. 

“Um...it looks bad, huh?”

Bucky shrugged and held up his hand, thumb and index fingers held apart by maybe an inch to indicated 'just a lil bit.' “I mean, I'm hoping the other guy looks worse?”

“Oh yeah,” Clint nodded, then winced. “Pretty sure anyway. From what I could see of him in the back of the squad anyway. Pretty sure the blood is mostly his...” And yeah, there was blood on the suit – some of which belonged to Clint despite his assurance that most belonged to the other guy. Bucky reached out for Clint's chin, pausing briefly when Clint flinched.

“Can I look?” He held back, expression softening until Clint nodded, well, more a tiny jerk of his head really. He still tensed when Bucky gently grasped his chin to tilt his head up and to the side to expose it to more of the streetlight, making a thoughtful noise as he did.

“I think the one above your eye stopped bleeding for now. Might reopen when I clean it--”

“You don't have to.”

“When I clean it later,” Bucky repeated more firmly. “Dizzy? Woozy?”

“He got in a lucky hit or two – doesn't feel like a concussion.” Clint replied.

“Good.” Bucky nodded and handed over his helmet.

“But the blood-”

“Will wash out.” 

They stared at each other for a moment, clearly trying to out-stubborn one another. Finally Clint let out a grunt and conceded, pulling the helmet on with a mulish glare and flinch of pain. The ride back to the tower was quick and Bucky couldn't help but wonder if Clint's posture was due to an unseen injury or perhaps something else. Normally he had no problem being up close and personal on the bike with him.

“I don't suppose me saying I can patch myself up is going to make any difference?” Clint asked as they rode the elevator up to the living quarters. Jarvis was silent, other than a brief, “welcome back sirs” and Bucky wondered, yet again, if the AI was actually sentient or what sort of parameters Tony had programmed into it-him when it came to discretion because he'd been half expecting to have been asked how his bike ride was.

Clint was also uncharacteristically silent as he dropped himself down on the toilet while Bucky grabbed the over-stocked first aid kit. He allowed the silence for a while while as he gently cleaned the blood from Clint's neck and face. 

“I think the jacket might be a lost cause,” he eventually said, sitting back and trying to meet Clint's eyes. He'd gotten shifty once they'd entered the building.

“You're probably right,” Clint agreed, meeting his gaze only in brief spurts.

“You sure you're okay?”

“As ever.”

Bucky nodded again and reached out to help Clint pull the jacket off.

“You really don't need to--”

“You could have bruising, internal bleeding--”

“Which I can look for myself and Jarvis can scan for!”

“Okay, okay.” Bucky held his hands up in surrender and tried to figure out a different approach. Clint did take the coat off, exposing the white shirt underneath. There was blood, but it looked mostly like it had been bleed through from splatter on the jacket or Clint's head wound. 

Still – Clint was holding himself awfully stiff and an altogether horrible thought entered Bucky's mind. He gave it a moment, willing himself to not let the red anger cloud his mind, before he leaned in with his most earnest expression, the one he'd learned from Steve. “Clint. Did someone try to do--”

“Oh. My. God. No.” His head shook vehemently. “No. Nothing like that. We are not having--”

“Okay, okay damn – calm down, Barton.”

“Why would you even?”

“Because you've never had a problem with me touching you or seeing you naked before. So excuse me for being concerned someone may have tried to violate you!” That...that came out a little more emotional than Bucky had intended.

“Oh...” Clint's face went about as red as Bucky felt his probably must be. “When uh...yeah.” Clint chuckled his nervous laugh and reached a hand up to scratch at the back of his neck. “I just stopped a robbery is all,” he said with a shrug.

“Were the flowers a reward?” Bucky nodded to the bouquet of roses sitting forlornly at Clint's feet.

“Um...No. No – those were purchased before. Different store.”

So – flowers, snazzy suit... “Barton, were you on a date?” And hey, if he was, Bucky was totally okay with that. Whatever made Clint happy.

Clint's face went bright red again and he looked back down at the floor and mumbled something. 

“Sorry, old man here, what was that again?” Bucky grinned, though it didn't last all that long because Clint didn't react like he normally did when Bucky made light of his age. He remained looking down at the tile like it was the most interesting thing in the world. “Clint?”

“I wasn't on a date. I was on my way to ask someone out though.”

“Oh. Well uh – I bet once we clean you up and get you in some new threads you can continue on your way. Explain what happened and all that.”

“They weren't expecting me.”

“Well hey, even better.” Bucky picked up the roses and gave them a once over. Despite being in a fight and then being pressed in between their bodies on the bike they were in surprisingly good condition. “I bet the lucky lady will still love these too,” he said, glancing up with a smile at Clint as he set them gently back on the floor. 

“Not a lady,” Clint said, still blushing, albeit not as violently. It was an utterly charming look on him.

“Oh.” And Bucky felt something in his chest give a lurch. “Well, okay then.” This smile was a little harder to summons and Bucky was annoyed with himself because it was stupid to be more upset that it was a man versus a woman. He knew Clint was attracted in both and really, it was his own damn fault that he'd waited so long before expressing his own interest in Clint. Barton. He'd have to get used to calling him Barton in his head again, it was safer. 

“I'm sure he will love them,” Bucky eventually managed to say. “If you like, I can step out while you change and then come back and stitch you up – get you back out and on your way.”

“Nah. S'ok.” Clint shrugged and twisted his fingers in the fabric of his untucked shirt.

“It's not a problem Barton. I bet we can cover some of the bruising with makeup even, though can't do much about that cut.” He'd applied butterfly bandages to it and had wanted to put a little gauze on as well just to keep it clean, but, he supposed that could wait until Clint had successfully asked this other guy out. Bucky let his own grin go a little lopsided. “I guess you'll just have to tell him the story of your badass exploits. Probably win some points.”

“I doubt it,” Clint shook his head and his shoulders fell. “I mean, he already knows I can be kind of a mess.”

“Well yeah, but that's all a part of your charm.” And great, now he was having to give a pep-talk to get Barton to ask someone else out. “You're a work in progress sometimes sure, but who isn't? Were all messes from time to time – even Natasha. She's just a helluva lot better at hiding it.” Bucky wished he was a little bit less of an emotional mess. Maybe if he was, he'd have been able to talk to Clint about how he felt before the imminent threat of Clint asking out another man had come about. “You're also a flat-out amazing guy Clint.” 

“Yeah?” 

And shit – Clint was giving him that shy look. The one that no man in his mid-thirties, let alone a man that had seen even a quarter of what Clint had, should be able to pull off. The innocent 'aww shucks, me?' look. 

Bucky was a sucker for that look.

“Yeah,” Bucky nodded, his smile a little tight. “You know you've got the looks, _everyone_ knows you know how good looking you are.” There was another small gratifying tint to Clint's cheeks at that. “But you're also just...” He breathed out slowly and tried to gather his thoughts. How the fuck did he tell Clint how amazing he was without giving away the game and making him feel guilty? 

“You go out there with just skill and training. No powers, fancy serum, or suit or anything. It's amazing.” There we go. Stick to Avenging. Easy peasy.

“Amazing huh?” 

And of course Clint would be fishing for more. He was nervous about asking this guy out – why else would he have gone to so much trouble? 

“Well. A little terrifying at times for the rest of us because damn Clint, I think you have less of a self-preservation instinct than even Steve had when he was little, and like hell if it doesn't make me proud and terrified at the same time when you throw yourself into things like you do. But yeah. You're pretty damn amazing and any guy'd be stupid to turn you down.” 

Belatedly, Bucky realized that he'd possibly let a little too much out with that, but what was the harm if it helped Clint do something that would make him happy. 

Clint's expression had slowly opened and become more hopeful as Bucky had spoken and he very carefully reached down to pick up the flowers. He gnawed on his bottom lip for a brief moment, glancing at Bucky, then away, then back again before squaring his shoulders and holding the bouquet out to him. 

“Would you like to go out with me sometime? Or maybe stay in and get a pizza or something?”

“...me?” What? Had he heard that right? “You wanted to ask me out?” Maybe Clint was practicing the line?

“Yeah?” Clint reset his shoulders and breathed in and out slowly, saying again with more confidence: “Yeah.”

Barton – Clint, he could keep calling him Clint, wanted to ask him out. Was asking him out. Bucky smiled in equal parts relief and excitement. This was actually turning out better than he'd been expecting.

“Why the flowers and the suit?” Bucky asked a moment later. 

“You-you're a classy guy. I just, I wanted to be a little more classy for you. Try to impress you.” Clint's smile was shy again but he tried to shrug it off. 

He was still nervous, Bucky realized; and sure he'd smiled, but he hadn't told him yes yet now had he?

“Well...” Bucky began, drawing out the word and accepting the flowers. He gave them a brief sniff before setting them on the counter beside him and shifting in closer to Clint. “I think I gave away that you impress me already, but I'm not opposed to being wined and dined.”

“Not big on the wine but I like dining,” Clint replied with a smile, decidedly leaning into the hand that Bucky stroked along the uninjured side of his face.

Bucky rolled his eyes but still leaned in to kiss Clint. He'd tell him later that their next date really wouldn't need any fancy clothes. If really successful, clothing would be optional.

 

 


End file.
